Disclaimer: Our camera broke (hence our slight hiatus on posts this week). All pictures below are from our cell phones, and are therefore of inferior quality then we would like.
Tonight, inspired by Sheila’s North African Cooking Class, I decided to make a chicken tagine. While we do have an actual Le Creuset tagine, I didn’t use it tonight for some reason. I am not sure that this is the authentic way to make tagine–I guess Sheila will tell me after her class.
Chicken Tagine
- 3 Chicken legs
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 T chopped ginger
- 1/2 c raisins
- 1 box Pomi chopped tomatoes
- Spices to taste: cinnamon, cumin, oregano
- salt and pepper
- honey
- red pepper flakes
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and spices. Brown the chicken (skin side down) in a little oil (it will release oil as it cooks, so you don’t need much initially). Flip the chicken after 3-5 minutes after it’s browned, and continue to brown the other side. After about 5 minutes, add the onion, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, raisins, honey and tomatoes. Add a bit of water so the liquid comes up almost to the top of the chicken. After the liquid begins to boil, turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Browned chicken with onions, garlic, ginger
Chicken with tomatoes, raisins
Couscous
Couscous is not actually a grain, but rather a very small pasta. It is extremely easy and quick to make–all you have to do is pour boiling water over the couscous in a sturdy glass/ceramic bowl and cover with a plate for about 5-10 minutes. During this time couscous absorbs all the water, and when you lift off the cover, you should fluff the couscous with a fork.
Fluffing the couscous
Couscous is very versatile. For this meal I mixed in:
Clockwise: sliced almonds, chopped parsely, chopped ginger, chopped red onion, dried cranberries and scallions (center)
The finished dish: Chicken tagine with couscous
